Just Passing Through
by Wednesday1990
Summary: Peter finds himself on Earth after stumbling into the convergence while doing a job on Vanaheim. While trying to find his way back he meets Thor, Jane, and co. but soon enough SHIELD gets involved...
1. Fooled Around and Ended Up on Earth

Peter Quill was enjoying the few moments of freedom he got away from the rest of the Ravagers because, despite having his own ship, he rarely got a moment to himself.

"One day," Peter promised to himself as he guided the Milano down to the planet's surface. "I just have to get a big enough score, and get enough units to start up on my own. Preferably on the other side of the galaxy."

However, that day was not this day in particular and Peter found himself flying around in Asgardian territory for Yondu since there was still a few goods to be acquired while the Asgardian's hold on their territory was still loose.

"Alrighty now," Peter said as he spotted a good bit of field to land in. "Time to get-"

But before Peter could even change altitude, something came flying at him from literally nowhere.

"What the fuck!"

The self-proclaimed Star Lord quickly swerved to the side as something large, grey, and pointy came hurtling at him.

"Is that a-" Peter did a double take. "Is that a military aircraft?"

Not only was the aircraft a military one, but it was something Peter hadn't seen the likes of in a very long time. Nearly 26 years in fact.

"Is that from Terra?" Peter said, right before the sprawling green surface of the Asgardian territory Vanaheim disappeared from under him.

In the blink of an eye, there was a completely new planet beneath him, although the landscape was one he hadn't seen even when he was still a resident of Terra.

"How the hell?"

Peter's face was scrunched up in confusion as he slowed the Milano down considerably so he could get a good look at his surroundings. Peter quickly made a u-turn and tried to get back to the airspace he'd just come out of.

"This cannot be happening..." Peter muttered angrily under his breath. "This cannot be happening!"

Peter began to yell and smacked at his console as he passed by the spot he'd come out of, but still found himself stranded on Earth.

"Fuck!"

Peter began turning the Milano around again to begin flying a perimeter around the area. It looked like one of those old cities made almost entirely out of drab, grey brick.

"Come on, come on," Peter began to say, feeling ridiculous as he flew around willy-nilly trying to hit the sweet spot that would send him back to the quadrant of the galaxy he had previously occupied. Peter knew that he would never live it down if he got stuck on planet as backwater as his previous home, Earth.

"It's going to take me two whole weeks to get back!"

Peter sighed in disgust and decided to let the ship hover for a bit while he got out his walkman. He was going to need a little Blue Swede to get over the serious funk he had managed to sink into.

Not that he was too displeased to be back on his home planet. It was just that he had just been, you know, in the middle of something. And he would generally rather have returned on his own terms rather than having been abducted by a weird space portal thing.

"Story of my life," he grumbled as he hooked the headphones over his ears and turned up the volume. Peter sank back into his chair with a groan and decided to fly around a bit more to see if he could spare himself some embarrassment.

Instead, after scanning the city for a few seconds, he felt his face slowly contort back into an expression of deep confusion.

"What the hell is that?"

Peter felt his voice squeak, but manfully decided to ignore it as he took in the sight before him. It could only be described as a humongous ship with huge columns of swirling black and red smoke around it. Peter watched as the smoke climbed upward, and warily circled around it. He didn't know what it was, but it could only be bad news. But soon enough, there was a flash of light, and Peter turned his head quickly enough to spot something small moving very fast toward the massive smoke thing that just happened to be in the middle of Terran city.

However, just as quickly as everything else had happened since Peter had found himself stuck on his home planet, the smoke disappeared and the tower of a ship started crumbling. Feeling a little more relieved now that that particular show was over, but still anxious about finding a solution to his situation. He watched as the strange ship started crashing down into the courtyard of one of the aforementioned drab, grey buildings.

"Wait it's not crashing!" Peter yelled as he directed his ship toward the other one. "It's disappearing!"

Peter pushed his ship as fast as he dared while he was still on planet, and tried to make it to the collapsing tower of an aircraft just ahead of him.

"Let's go, baby," Peter cooed to the Milano over the sound of Ooga Chakas, his headphones still firmly over his head. "Daddy doesn't want to be stuck on Terra."

Just as he thought he was going to make it into the portal at the tail-end of the other ship, the entire thing completely vanished and he was left staring at a bit of dirt, grass, and a terrified-looking woman huddled over a man in a red cape.

Peter screamed again as he pulled up sharply, and just in time, which left him staring dumbly at the first human he'd seen, besides the one in the mirror, in over twenty years.

"Shit."


	2. Are You an Alien or What?

Jane stared dumbfounded at the strange-looking airship above her. Jane thought for a moment that the ship was from Earth since the guy looked human enough (but then again so did Thor), and he was clearly as shocked and confused as she was. However, Jane was pretty sure no one on earth had quite managed to build something like the ship in front of her. She was also pretty sure that the British Royal Airforce didn't allow their pilots to listen to music with orange headphones while piloting.

Plus the thing was honest-to-god hovering in front of her with none of the gusts of wind she would come to expect of even a SHIELD aircraft. She knocked on the hull of the craft to get his attention.

"Uh, hi?"

"Jane?" Thor said warily from behind her, as he staggered up onto his feet.

"Thor!" Jane exclaimed turning back to her Asgardian significant something-or-whatever-they-were. She'd almost forgotten he'd been knocked out, and that they'd both been in danger of pulverization just moments before.

"Jane! Thor!"

Selvig hopped over to them through the rubble, his hands still on the knobs of the machine around his neck. Jane realized then that her old friend must have saved the both of them. But that still didn't explain the new mystery right in front of her. Darcy and Ian the Intern were following right behind him as they stared in awe at the ship like she had just a few seconds ago.

"Are you alright, Jane?" Thor said, slowly climbing to his feet, using Jane to steady himself as he did so. He wasn't looking at her though, but on the strange man in the spacecraft.

"I'm fine," Jane reassured him. "But don't worry about me. What about you?"

"I am well," Thor turned and gave her a beaming smile. "The Nine Realms are once again safe."

"Well, yeah, that's great and all, and definitely why we came here, but are we going to talk about that," Darcy interrupted, pointing at the newly landed spaceship and the guy getting up from his seat. "Or are we just going to keep ignoring that elephant?"

"Elephant?" Thor mumbled, but no one paid him any mind as a side door to the craft opened and a man wearing a red leather trench coat, boots, and old-fashioned headphones around his neck climbed out.

"Um, hi?" the man said, waving a little as he hopped to the ground next to his ship.

"Hi spaceman!" Darcy called.

"Darcy," Jane hissed at her.

"What?" Darcy said back. "I was just saying hello."

"Who are you, friend?" Thor took over, shuffling forward toward the other man, and putting himself in front of the Midgardians. The man was not a Dark Elf, that much was certain, but he was also clearly not of Earth. "And where do you hail from?"

"Uh, hail from?" the man made a face before looking around with wide eyes at the area around them. Jane noticed they were a pleasant shade of brown, and his hair looked like it was a dark red or maybe even blonde. Or was it ginger? Were there ginger aliens? Well, Volstagg didn't count...

"I don't really hail from anywhere anymore except the Milano," the man pointed to his ship. "And, uh, my name's Peter. Peter Quill. You might know me better as Star Lord."

The man said this with a hopeful look on his face, and the four Midgardians looked to their resident space expert for any confirmation.

"Who?" Thor asked, trying to be polite, but mostly just looking politely confused.

"I- ugh, never mind," the man rolled his eyes. "One day..."

"You'll have to forgive me," Thor told him. "I'm unfamiliar with anything beyond the Nine Realms..."

"Oh, well, yeah, you're probably from Vanaheim or something right?" the man said, walking over to them slowly before he stopped a few paces from their group. Thor at the head, Jane at his side, and the other three close behind him.

"I am Thor of Asgard," Thor told him, looking a little unsettled that someone didn't recognize him. He was the crown prince of Asgard and a well-known Midgardian hero, after all, and it'd been some time since he hadn't been recognized on sight.

"Oh!" the man, Peter, exclaimed with the look of sudden realization. "You're Thor! Uh, prince or something? Wow. I... was not expecting to meet royalty today. Well, today is kind of weird all around to be honest."

Peter turned to frown contemplatively at his ship, most likely thinking about how he was going to go back to wherever he had come from without the help of the convergence.

"Forgive me for assuming, but I don't think you're from the Nine Realms," Thor looking at Peter inquisitively. "I did not think that the convergence affected any other area of the galaxy."

"Oh...well," Peter said looking embarrassed. "I was on Vanaheim when all this happened. Actually you might want to check there if all your airships didn't come back. I passed by a Terran one there before I got spat out over here."

"Oh shit," Darcy said, as she put a hand over her mouth, thinking of the possibly very confused airforce guys hanging out in one of the other realms.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Peter said to her. "So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, what was going on here? I've never seen a ship like that before, especially that weird, sinister cloud thing."

Thor looked uneasy at this. Surely, it would not be wise to spread the knowledge of the Aether to someone they didn't know. However, he did not want to lie to such an amiable new companion either. Perhaps, he thought sadly, he would take a page out of his brother's book and only tell him half of the truth.

"The Dark Elves from Svartalfheim awoke from their slumber and sought to conquer the nine realms during the convergence," Thor told him, without mentioning the Aether. "Luckily, we were able to destroy their forces and their flagship before they could succeed."

"Uh, wow," Peter said, not expecting an answer quite like that. "Dark Elves? Huh, never heard of them before. So, uh, good job, I guess? Thanks for saving... well, were they just going after the 'nine realms' or were they going after the whole galaxy? I mean, not that the nine realms don't make up a significant portion of that, but, you know, just asking."

"Their leader, Malakith, would not have been satisfied with just that," Thor told him somberly. "His goal was to conquer all of creation."

Peter whistled, his eyes still wide with shock. And he patted Thor on the shoulder just a little. Thor looked at where he'd been patted with bemusement and then at the very Midgardian-like man in front of him.

"Wow, good job then."

"Thank you," Thor said with surprising sincerity. It visibly made Peter look a little uncomfortable.

"Uh, you're welcome," Peter said awkwardly. "Well, I best be on my way. Long trip back to anywhere from here you know."

"Wait! Are you really an alien?" Darcy asked. Selvig, Jane, and Ian all turned their heads to stare at her.

"What? Does he seem very alien to you?" Darcy explained, hands nearly on her hips. "He even has a Sony Walkman. I haven't seen one of those in ages."

She pointed at the maybe-alien's wait where, sure enough, a walkman was there in surprisingly good condition.

"Oh wow," Jane said, taking a step forward to look more closely. "Where did you get one of those?"

"It's mine," Peter said a tad defensively as he flipped his trench coat over his waist, and plucked the headphones from around his neck and shoved them into an inside coat pocket. "I've always had it."

"Are you from Earth then?" Ian piped in. Jane almost jumped, embarrassingly enough, but thankfully no one was looking at her. She'd forgotten he was there to be honest.

"Well, originally," Peter admitted reluctantly. "When I was a kid. But, you know, I left."

"Oh my God," Darcy said. "When? The nineties? You have a walkman."

"There's nothing wrong with walkmans," Peter said defensively. "And I left in the eighties. Well, 1988."

"Oh my God, what?" Jane couldn't help but contribute. Unconsciously copying Darcy. Jane sometimes swore that the worst of themselves was rubbing off on each other. "You must have been... how old are you? You can't be more than thirty."

"Uh," Peter said, looking shifty and edging back toward his ship.

"Hey we're not judging or anything," Darcy said, holding her hands out like one might do for a startled animal. "Just curious, you know? Not often that we meet any space men that are actually from Earth. We just have Muscles over here."

She reached out and patted Thor on his well-muscled bicep that presumably got him his newest Darcy-nickname.

"Indeed, Peter Quill," Thor said. "You do not have to leave so soon. Surely you must be eager to spend some time on your homeworld despite the unusual circumstances?"

Peter looked each of them, studying their faces intently, for what Jane didn't know. But when he looked down at his feet and sighed she knew that they had him.

"All of this is very interesting," Dr. Selvig piped in from where he'd been off examining one of the courtyards new craters. "But it looks like the police are here. I don't know about you, but I don't want to go to holding again quite so soon."

"Right," Jane said quickly, looking over at the flashing lights. "Time to go."

"I, uh, could give you a ride?" Peter offered tentatively, pointing at his spaceship.

"Thanks, Spaceman!" Darcy said, looking excited as she hopped past him to the ship. "How about giving me a boost?"

Peter watched her, stunned for a few seconds, as Darcy attempted to climb up the side of the craft, Ian ineffectively trying to give her a lift up. He shook his head and walked over to help.


	3. Steak is Great! And so are Bifrosts

Once they were all settled in the Milano, with only a minimal amount of gawking, Peter started his baby up.

Okay, this day just gets weirder and weirder, Peter thought to himself, pointedly trying ignore all his new passengers.

When he woke up this morning, Peter never would have believed he would be in a situation like this. After all, four Terrans and an Asgardian being ferried a short distance across Terra had never before been done in a Ravager craft.

Well, five Terrans...

It was weird. Peter's identity was sort of mostly about his identity as a Terran, but when he thought about it, especially now that he was back home for the first time in years, he didn't really think of himself as truly Terran anymore. He was a Ravager, Star Lord even, but Terran? He hadn't been back since he was eight years old, and that more than seventy-five percent of his life.

"Friend Peter."

Peter jumped a little as he was jolted out of his increasingly philosophical thoughts (Yondu would be so disappointed), and he turned his head to look over at the big blonde Asgardian sitting next to him.

"Uh, yeah?"

"There is something I have been wondering about," Thor began ponderously, looking out at the spacious and mostly empty fields of England that lay before them. "You mentioned that you were in Vanaheim at the time of the convergence. However..."

Thor looked awkward like he didn't quite know how to word this without sounding offensive, and Peter knew exactly what he wanted to ask. After all, technically the Nine Realms didn't get any out-worlders- like, at all. So, Peter being in Vanaheim, despite technically being from one of those Nine Realms, was an unusual and fairly suspicious thing.

"A little suspicious?" Peter prompted. Reluctantly, Thor began to nod, and Peter tried to look as sympathetic as possible. He was going to have to seriously bullshit his way out of this one.

"Well, it's kind of part of my job," Peter explained. "I go to different planets, see if they have anything to trade, or if it's an abandoned planet, I act as a junker and see if there's anything to salvage. I know that normally Asgardian territory is kind of off limits, but my boss thought that since I'm from Terra I might have more luck than most trying to make a trade."

"I see," Thor said thoughtfully. "It is true that the Realms are more isolated than the rest of the Galaxy. Perhaps it is not a bad idea. To be more open to outside trade. I should mention this to my father."

"That'd be great," Peter said, more than a little relieved that Thor had bought it. Well, either way it wouldn't matter much anymore. Now that Asgard was full-time policing their 'realms' once more, the Ravagers would probably stay away more often than not.

"I have one more thing to ask of you, Peter Quill," Thor said very solemnly, and Peter couldn't help but think, what now? with only a touch of exasperation.

"Yeah, sure, shoot," Peter said, adjusting his course a little bit to the route provided by the GPS on Darcy's 'smart phone'. Man, he wished they had things like this when he'd been a kid. He might have come back to visit Terra a lot sooner if he knew they were catching up to the rest of the galaxy as fast as they were.

"Can I trouble you to drop me off at a Bifrost site? I fear I must return to Asgard and let my father and friends know about our victory here on Midgard."

"What?!" was heard from the seats behind Peter and Thor, and Peter nearly swerved from the sudden shock of noise. Jeez, he'd nearly forgotten about the other Terrans on board.

"Thor, you're leaving?" Jane said, almost pleadingly, and it made Peter a little uncomfortable. Like he was listening in on a conversation he shouldn't be.

"Yes," Thor confirmed, looking a little uncomfortable himself as he turned in his seat to look at, what Peter assumed was, his significant other. "But don't worry, Jane. I promise to return soon."

"Like last time?" Jane said, sounding clearly upset, even though Peter couldn't see her. Peter was mostly trying to keep his eyes firmly on the road ahead, however he felt his eyes sliding every moment or so over to an upset-looking Thor.

"I'm sorry I caused you so much pain after our last parting, but this time I swear I will return soon," Thor promised, and even Peter, with his stunted morals and emotional maturity could tell it was heartfelt. Although he wondered if Darcy and the other guys in the back were feeling as awkward as he was.

"Soon? What's soon?" Jane said. "Tomorrow? Next month? Next year?"

"I cannot answer with any certainty," Thor admitted with sorrow. "But at least within the week. And if I cannot, I will send word. The Bifrost is once again functional. We will not be cut off from each other as we once were."

"...Okay," Jane said quietly. "I understand. I'm sure your friends will want to know you're okay. But will it be alright? Didn't you kind of commit treason before we left?"

Thor looked a little bashful at this, and Peter was more than a little surprised. Treason? Maybe he had underestimated this prince guy. He was more Ravager than he thought. Well, it sounds like he did it for the good of the galaxy, so then again, maybe not.

"Yes, well, I hope that my exploits here will overshadow any previous treason," Thor said wryly, and he smiled warmly at his lady love.

"Well," Peter drawled. "Hate to interrupt, but if you want to get dropped off, best mention where now, we're almost to London."

"Yes, my apologies, Peter," Thor said, as he leaned froward in his seat to scan the London cityscape. "Direct your ship over there."

Thor pointed to a section of the city that was more warehouse than anything else.

"The Bifrost site is not far from there."

* * *

><p>"Sooo... this seems like a bad idea."<p>

Peter and Darcy were standing in front of the Milano, conveniently parked on the roof of Jane's mom's apartment.

"What are you talking about," Peter said, waving an arm in the direction of his ship. "That was some awesome parking skills right there.

"Nah, I'm not talking about that," Darcy corrected. "I mean, the whole having-a-space-ship-on-top-of-where-we're-staying thing. Can't you make this thing invisible or something? Like, doesn't it come with a cloaking device?"

Peter snorted with amusement.

"You think I can afford that? And leave it running for a few days? I'd completely kill the crystals."

"I'm just going to assume you mean the batteries," Darcy said as she turned to sigh at the large gaudy spaceship just hanging out. "Maybe we can get a tarp."

Peter gave her the stink eye.

"What?" Darcy said defensively. "Don't blame me when SHIELD shows up and confiscates your spaceship."

"What about shields?"

"Guys!"

The both of them turned to see Jane poking her head out of the kitchen window.

"Do you guys want dinner or not? Erik made steak," Jane said temptingly, raising an eyebrow at them before going back in.

"Oh my Goooood," Peter groaned. "I haven't had steak, like actual steak, in 25 years."

"Well, time to eat up space man," Darcy reached up to pat him on the shoulder. "Then we can get you some new tunes. Hiding the conspicuous spaceship can wait until later."


	4. But You Let Us Keep Thor!

Peter ended up staying a little longer than he had originally planned. Well, staying at all was longer than he'd originally planned, but he definitely hadn't seen himself hanging out with this funny group of fellow humans (in fact, the only groups of humans he'd seen in decades), and then sleeping on their couch. He might have preferred sleeping on the Milano, but it felt right to go to sleep on a Terran couch after eating a Terran meal, going out to get the biggest Tarp they could find, and then getting a quick crash course in modern music.

So, that's how Peter found himself staring up at the ceiling of a modern London apartment, Ian the Intern having returned home for the night, and the two scientists and the senior intern holed up in their respective rooms. It was almost bizarre how at home he felt. One would think that spending most of your life away from your birth planet would make it feel foreign, but that wasn't what Peter was feeling. And, not for the first time, Peter wondered if being a Ravager was the right thing for him. Even branching out on his own didn't look as attractive as it had less than a cycle ago.

"Shut up, Peter," he told himself. "No change of plans. First sign of a decent score, pop in and pop right back out. Never have to see those ugly bastards again."

And with that thought in mind, Peter drifted off to sleep. Strange thoughts and cloudy memories swirling around his head as he started to dream.

* * *

><p>And then of course, at six in the morning, there was knocking on the door.<p>

Peter almost startled himself off the couch, his eyes open wide and practically rolling back in his head as he braced himself on the soft material covering the back rest. Then the person at the door started knocking again, but more insistently. Peter blinked at the door and then looked out the window at the dawn-streaked Terran city in the distance, and threw his head back to groan. He'd almost forgotten what happened yesterday. Half of him still thought that it was some fantasy he made up because he was a little homesick or something.

After a few moments of rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and then realizing that no one was getting up in the other rooms to answer the door, Peter threw his loaned blanket off of himself and tugged down his shirt which had ridden up his torso in his sleep.

"I'm coming," Peter mumbled, grabbing his pants on his way around the couch. He'd just finished pulling them up and buttoning them before the knocking on the door evolved into some pretty insistent banging.

"Coming," he said louder, and he sighed in relief for his sleep fogged mind when the banging stopped.

Peter walked clumsily to the door and peeked through the peephole to see who the hell was up and visiting the doctor's apartment so early in the morning. Unfortunately it didn't answer any of his questions because they guy on the other side of the door looking back at him was just a buff blonde guy dressed in black with sunglasses. And what looked like a white-and-green cup of something in his hands.  
>Peter shrugged and opened up the door.<p>

"Uh, hi?" Peter greeted him, trying not to yawn in the guy's face. No matter how fuzzy or inexperienced his memories were of his home planet, something told him that blowing morning breath in someone's face was not how humans made good first impressions.

There was an awkward pause as the two men stared each other down. Peter kept the smile plastered on to his face because he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do exactly. It also didn't help that he couldn't get a good read on the guy because of the obnoxiously impervious sunglasses. Peter's smile faltered as the guy lifted an extremely toned arm clad in a clingy black fabric so that he could take a long sip from his cup.

'What's a starbucks?' Peter thought to himself as he finally caught the words on the side of the cup.

"Is Dr. Foster in?"

Peter almost breathed out a sigh of relief as the silence was finally broken.

"Uh, yeah, she's just-" Peter pointed to the inside of the apartment with a thumb. "It was- uh, a long day yesterday. I don't think they even heard you."

"Right," the guy sighed heavily, and pushed his way in between Peter and the doorframe. Peter, too startled by the suddeness of the action, backed up easily enough.

"Uh.." Peter poked his head out the door, looked back over at the guy who was making himself at home in the kitchen. Peter closed the door quickly, bare feet shuffling on the hardwood floor, and followed the intruder into the kitchen.

"I'm not sure if Jane would like this," Peter told the man rifling through the fridge for... Peter wasn't sure what. "I mean, it's her place so... I don't think I can invite you in or anything without her permission?"

"Don't worry about it," the man said, pulling an apple out of the fridge and taking a large bite out of it. Peter winced at the loud, crisp crunch that seemed to echo throughout the apartment.

"I'm pretty sure you telling me not to worry about it doesn't make me not worry," Peter said drily, shuffling from one foot to another now that the morning chill was getting to him. Particularly the chill of tile on his unprotected feet.

"Ugh, dude- what are you doing at 6 in the morning-"

Darcy was the first to get up, in all her plaid pajama glory, and Peter was both relieved and worried about this at the same time. It was great to have back-up, but Darcy wasn't exactly someone Peter would count on to fix this mess.

"Hey! Hawkman! Long time no see," Darcy exclaimed as she shuffled over to the man leaning on the kitchen counter still eating his pilfered apple. She punched him lightly on the arm (and he didn't seem to even feel it, much to Peter's not-surprise), and nimbly grabbed the cup in the guy's hand to take a long sip.

"Yo, if you're going to stop at Starbucks, you've got to bring enough for the group."

"I don't think my wallet could survive another trip to Starbucks with you, Darce," the man said wryly. "Every time we go, you end up ordering things I didn't even know they had."

"You've got to branch out, agent man," Darcy said as she nudged him playfully.

"Uhh..." Peter said intelligently, mouth open slightly as he pointed from the man to his (sort of) hostess.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, Pete," Darcy said, looking over at the confused pile of spaceman at the other end of the kitchen. "This here is a sort of friend of ours. Clint Barton. Also known as the Amazing Hawkeye."

"Just Hawkeye," the man, Clint, corrected. "And sort of? Ouch. Now I'm really not getting you Starbucks anymore."

"What? C'mon. I don't exactly make money as an intern you know."

Clint shrugged and continued to chew on his apple.

"Alright then," Peter said slowly, just deciding to go with the flow. You didn't spend as much time as he did around violent alien pirates and not learn how to just go with the flow. "Nice to meet you Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. I'm Peter. Peter Quill. Some call me Star Lord."

Clint choked on the piece of fruit he was chewing. "What? Really? Do people call you that?"

Peter sighed and rolled his eyes. One day.

"They totally do," Peter sort of lied. Or at least they would some day. "Not like yours is any better Hawkeye."

Instead of taking offense, Clint just shrugged and took another sip of his coffee before Darcy could swipe it from him again.

"I was in the circus, what's your excuse?"

"Oh my God, you were in the circus?"

Peter couldn't help himself. That was the coolest thing he'd heard in a while. Joining the circus was one of his childhood dreams that obviously never even had a shot of being fulfilled.

"Eh," Clint shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

"Cool," Peter said.

"Uh, yeah, anyway," Darcy interrupted. "Not that it isn't awesome to see you Hawkman, but what brings you to our neck of the woods? Don't you have stuff to do? Like, I don't know, cleaning up Greenwich?"

"Officially I'm on enforced medical leave," Clint told her with a smirk."And un-officially, I'm your babysitter. Not cool, by the way, disappearing the other day and getting involved in a bunch of alien apocalypse stuff."

"Well, you know, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

"And the souveneir?" Clint asked blandly.

"What souveneir?" Darcy asked, clearly confused as she yawned and wrapped her arms around herself to preserve body warmth.

Clint point upwards. Both Peter and Darcy looked up before they looked at each other and witnessed the same thought go through each other's head.

Shit.

* * *

><p>"Um, we can totally explain this," Darcy said as the three of them gathered on the rooftop.<p>

"Uh-huh," Clint said, taking another sip from his coffee as he peered at her from over the tops of his sunglasses.

Peter just had a hand over his face and struggled with holding in a deep groan.

"I'm waiting for the explanation," Clint said, seeming to enjoy watching them try and figure something out.

"Uh, there's a really good explanation!" Darcy said, gesturing toward the tarp-covered Milano who was taking up nearly the entire roof, one of its wings even poking of the edge. "Right Peter? Tell him."

"Wait, what? Why me? This was your idea," Peter said, his head jerking up to stare at Darcy and feeling just a little bit betrayed.

"It was totally not my idea. And, anyway, it's your ship," Darcy countered.

"Wait, this is his ship?" Clint asked, suddenly not as amused as he was before.

"Uhhhh," Peter and Darcy said at the same time, both realizing their mistake. Despite looking vaguely human-made, anyone who knew anything about man-made aircrafts knew that there wasn't anything like this on the market. And since Clint was part of the super knowledgeable agency known as SHIELD, he knew better than to dismiss the idea that it was alien.

"So what? Did you pop over during that... thing yesterday?" Clint pressed, finally taking off his sunglasses to pin Peter directly with his gaze. "Are you like Thor? Or are you from somewhere else or what? Jesus, how did we miss something like this?"

"Woah, slow down," Peter held out his hands cautiously, eyeing the increasingly agitated looking-man with the super buff arms. "Uh, yeah, I got kind of caught up in that thing yesterday and found myself over here. Kind of a shock. But um, I'm actually originally from Earth, believe it or not."

"What?" Clint said, squinting at Peter, looking him up and down.

"Yeah, long story. Got picked up in '88. Really haven't gotten a chance to come back until now. Or well, I guess it really wasn't by choice but still," Peter finished, shrugging at the dumbfounded agent.

"I... can't deal with this right now," Clint admitted, rubbing his eyes. "I really am supposed to be on leave. Jesus."

"Well, I mean, it's not a problem or anything, is it?" Darcy asked, turning on the bambi eyes to try and make this work in their favor. "It's not like he's doing anything."

"Not a problem?" Clint said, his voice completely dead-pan. "We've got a guy who was abducted when he was- like, what, nine?"

"Eight."

"When he was eight, has been missing for the past quarter of a century and shows up during one of the, surprisingly frequent, alien attacks on Earth. It's kind of a problem," Clint said. "And besides, you don't know anything about this guy, and you put him up for the night?"

"Hey, it worked out with Thor," Darcy protested.

Clint looked like he wanted to strangle her a little bit.

"Hey, let's calm down. Hawkeye, or whatever, here kind of has a point," Peter tried to defuse the situation.

"Oh please, you still think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the best things ever," Darcy scoffed. "I'm sure you're a huge threat to mankind."

"Hey," Peter protested.

"Oh my god, really?" Clint couldn't help but say, even laughing a little as he looked at Peter's indignant face.

"There's nothing wrong with that show," Peter insisted. "But whatever. We're getting off track. If it's such a big deal, I can just leave. I was planning to go anyway. Kind of have to go meet up with my boss and tell him why I suddenly disappeared. Although something tells me he's not going to believe me when I say that I got sucked into some kind of wormhole that took me to my home planet. I'll be lucky if I don't get a yakka arrow straight to the ass."

Peter started to cringe when he thought about Yondu and the rest of the Ravagers. Part of him wanted to wait as long as possible while the other part knew that the longer he waited the worse it would be. Well, maybe he could convince this Clint guy to let him pick up a knick knack or two before he left so he could appease Yondu. They were in a city, he could probably find something...

"No can do," Clint said, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder and guiding him back toward the apartment. "You're coming with me. The... ship can stay here for now, but we need to ask some questions."

"Wait, no, come on, man," Peter protested, but he couldn't really break the guy's hold on him without getting violent. Something that he knew wouldn't really earn him any brownie points. "Can't I just go?"

"Yeah, come on, Clint," Darcy protested in Peter's defense. "He just wanted to catch up on some music. And shouldn't we wait for Jane? You let us keep Thor!"

"God, you're making it sound like we're going to dissect him. And we questioned Thor too before we let you keep him," Clint said rolling his eyes as he pushed Peter into the living room. "Put on your shoes, we'll bring you back later. I promise."

"Fine, fine."

Peter did as he was told and put on his boots and grabbed his coat from where it had been resting on the coffee table. Last but not least, he slipped on the ear piece that activated his mask. Clint squinted suspiciously at the ear piece but didn't say anything. Clint walked Peter out the door, and they left a fretting Darcy behind.

"Jaaaaane!"


	5. Growing Suspicions

"Alright, where are we going?" Peter said, as he hopped into the back of a large black van with the agent.

"Do really think I'm going to tell you that?" Clint asked with a neutral expression on his face. Clint climbed into the back of the van after Peter, then tapped the divider between the back and the front.

"Uh...yes?" Peter answered. "I mean, why would it matter if I know where we're going?"

"I..." Clint thought about it for a moment as the car lurched into motion. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter since you haven't been on Earth... in a while. Jesus, what grade did you get to?"

"Third," Peter said defensively. "Who cares? I got a space education. Or whatever. I can dismantle a plasma blaster in 25 seconds, and I know the coordinates for every major port in the galaxy. What do I need Earth school for?"

"Uh, I guess Earth geography doesn't really come in handy in space," Clint attempted to placate him. "Of course, I guess if it doesn't matter if I _do_ tell you, then it also doesn't matter if I don't."

Peter just squinted at the other man, trying to come up with a counter argument, but failing. After a moment, he huffed and turned to stare out the window.

"So can I ask _why_ you're taking me in? It's not like I did anything, you know? And it's not like I'm an illegal alien or whatever," Peter said, arms crossed and still looking out the window.

"Well, technically you are since you're in a foreign country without a passport..." Clint commented, ignoring the confused look Peter shot his way. "But that aside, we've had way to many hostile aliens here the past few years to not check out anything strange as thoroughly as possible."

"I guess," Peter grumbled, but then what Clint had said fully sank in after a second or two and Peter opened his mouth again. "Wait? Past few years? What other hostile aliens have you been getting?"

"What the rest of the galaxy hasn't heard about it?" Clint asked dryly. "About two years ago we were attacked by some alien army led by Loki, Thor's adopted younger brother."

"Oh," Peter said with understanding. "It's a 'nine realms' thing. Yeah, Asgardian territory is kind of cut off from the rest of the galaxy. So, if this was just between Earth and some guy from Asgard, chances are news of it isn't going to get very far."

"Right," Clint said, not quite believing that he was getting a crash course in galaxy politics.

"And, it's not like I pay much attention to the news or anything," Peter said thoughtfully as he scratched at the scruff on his chin. "And if I do, it'd probably be about Xandar or something."

"Um, Xandar?" Clint asked. "What's that?"

Peter looked startled for a second, like he couldn't believe someone had just asked that, but his expression quickly morphed into one that screamed satisfaction.

"Well, I guess I could tell you, but it's not like it would mean anything to you, right?" Peter teased. "I mean, it doesn't matter if I tell you, but it doesn't really matter if I _don't_, right?"

"Funny," Clint said with a voice that implied the exact opposite. "Very cute. Yeah, just try and keep this up for the official interrogation. We'll be keeping you for days."

"Right," Peter said, rubbing his face into his his hands and sighing.

"Time to get out," Clint said as the car stopped.

"Awesome," Peter said, trying to open up the door, but failing. He stared at the door handle, slightly confused, before looking back at Clint.

Clint's eyebrow quirked up and he tossed a black bag over to the other man.

"Seriously?" Peter complained. "I can't even see out of the windows, and we're probably in some place I wouldn't be able to identify if I tried."

"Sorry," Clint shrugged. "Can't take any chances."

"Fine," Peter scoffed, and he put the bag around his head, letting Clint reach over and secure the ends.

Clint then opened up his side of the car, signaled for other agents to open up Quill's side and direct him into the facility.

"I'm not going to get probed, am I?" Peter asked, as he was being led by the arm.

Internally Clint groaned. He didn't really feel up to dealing with a Tony Stark character at the moment.

"Not if you behave," Clint grouched, pushing Peter up the ramp to discourage any dallying.

"Oh, so you only save that for your naughty prisoners?"

Clint could practically hear the guy's eyebrows waggling, and Clint sent a stern look to the smirking agent who was helping him guide Peter through the makeshift SHIELD base.

* * *

><p>Thor looked gravely upon the wreck the palace had been left in. The invasion had not been kind on Asgard. Nor had Thor's hasty exit only less than a day before. However, despite Thor's actions, whom some might call treasonous, his welcome had been a warm one, and all were relieved that Malakith and the Dark Elves were no more. Thor has passed off the Aether to the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, telling them to find a safe place to store it. Asgard was clearly not the impenetrable stronghold they had believed it was in their youths, and the vault already held its own infinity stone.<p>

Fortunately, Heimdall knew of a place to keep it.

"He is called The Collector," Heimdall spoke with Thor and his friends in the relative privacy of his Observatory. "He is one of the Ancients of the Galaxy. He has the means to store it and lacks the drive to use it for his own devices."

"Is he trustworthy?" Lady Sif questioned. Heimdall looked uncomfortable at this.

"He is what he is," Heimdall said mysteriously. "And I would trust him with this. He will not use it, and he will not sell it. He exists only to collect. I imagine he will be delighted to house it."

"At the very least, we cannot house two infinity stones together," Thor said, clearly having already made his decision. "Sif, Volstagg, take one of the ships and bring this to the Collector."

Thor raised the device that housed the Aether. It had taken some time, but he'd managed to gather a party together to go back to the Dark Elves' home world so that they could collect the Aether before anyone else could.

"It will be done, my prince," Sif promised with a fist over her heart, and Volstagg echoed her gesture.

Sif gingerly took the Aether from Thor and looked at it warily. Volstagg and the rest watched it with the same look in their eyes.

"We will leave at once," Volstagg said, nodding at Thor and leading Sif to the ships that were waiting.

"As for me," Fandrall said, rubbing at a sore spot in his back. "I'll be taking a long break. I've had enough adventure, plot, and treason to satisfy me for at least another month."

"Rest well, my friend," Thor said with a smile as he clasped arms with Fandrall. "You've earned it."

"Indeed, I have!" Fandrall said with a laugh, and he too left the Observatory.

"It seems my leave was ill-timed," Hogun said.

"No one could have predicted these events," Thor told him truthfully. "And if not for you, the Midgardians on Vanaheim might have had a harder time returning home."

Hogun the Grimm was not so grim in that moment, the almost smile on his lips put Thor at ease, knowing that Hogun was glad to be of assistance. Even if it was only to herd a few Midgardian pilots back to their home planet. However, as soon as the smile graced his friend's face, it left just as quickly. Instead something a little more worried than his normal stoic expression took its place.

"I have other news, Prince Thor," Hogun said, and Thor's brow contracted into a more worried expression as well.

"What is it? Is it Vanaheim?" Thor asked, wondering if it was Hogun's family or worse. However, a voice in the back of Thor's mind (one that sounded suspiciously like his deceased brother) reminded him that Peter Quill had been on Vanaheim during the time of the convergence.

"It is Vanaheim," Hogun confirmed. He looked like he was considering how to tell Thor the news, but that was Hogun's usual way even with the very best of news. "There are reports of off-worlders on Vanaheim. They... aren't causing much trouble, but they seem to be looking for someone. One of their own."

Thor felt a wave of relief wash over him. These must be Quill's companions. It was only natural that they would seek him out. Although it was strange that Peter had not contacted them like he said he would before Thor had left. Perhaps the Lady Darcy had taken up too much of friend Peter's time with celebration and education about Midgard.

"I believe I know the person whom they seek," Thor answered.

At this, both Heimdall and Hogun seemed taken aback.

"My prince," Hogun began. "These people are not a reputable sort. They are..."

Hogun seemed to be at a loss for words, but Heimdall was not.

"I've seen these rogues fly across the galaxy. They've even entered into the Nine Realms as of late with disturbing frequency," Heimdall informed them.

"They call themselves the Ravagers," Hogun told them. "At best, they could be called tradesmen. At worst, they are outlaws or criminals."

"I see," Thor said, looking thoughtful, trying to fit all these pieces together. "While on Midgard, I found a man who found himself swept up by the convergence. To look at him, one wouldn't think he was from the Nine Realms. But after talking to him, it was apparent that he was originally from Midgard."

"And what, exactly, was he doing on Vanaheim?" Hogun asked sternly.

"He said that he was sent by his company to..." Thor paused trying to remember Peter's explanation. "Trade?"

Heimdall and Hogun glanced at each other before looking back to Thor.

"You... don't think he was being truthful," Thor said flatly.

"Sire, I wouldn't say that he was lying," Hogun said carefully. "But there has been no word among the people of Vanaheim of traders. Only... suspicious characters."

"I see," Thor said solemnly. "Have you spoken with these... Ravagers? Do you know what they look like?"

"Not personally, my prince," Hogun answered. "But I have heard about their strange appearances. And they all dress in a similar shade of dark red."

The glower on Thor's face only became more pronounced as he thought of Peter's long, dark red coat.

"I must go see my father," Thor told them. "And then... I will return to Midgard."

"Very well," Heimdall said. "I will keep watch here."

"And I must return to Vanaheim," Hogun said. "I do not wish to leave them unguarded. What shall I do about these Ravagers, Prince Thor?"

"Tell them..." Thor began. "If you happen upon them, tell them that their companion, Peter Quill, will return to them soon. And that they have no reason to be on Vanaheim. If they continue to stay, use force."

"As you command," Hogun said, and he pressed his fist to his heart and bid him farewell.

Thor watched him return to Vanaheim through the bifrost and turned to Heimdall who was watching him carefully.

"What do you think?" Thor asked. "I would have your wisdom."

"I think," Heimdall said slowly. "That you should go talk to your father. And when you are done, you should go to Midgard and speak to this Peter Quill. It seems that there is much he has not told you."

Thor sighed as he thought of the cheerful Midgardian he had met by chance.

"It seems you are right," Thor conceded. "But what worries me are these Ravagers. I only hope that Hogun can deal with them without us."


	6. Kraglin has a Bad Day (and Darcy too)

"Fuckin' Peter. Never should have fucking let that dumbass go out on his fucking own."

Kraglin rolled his eyes as he listened to Yondu curse about their most wayward Ravager for what felt like the thousandth time. This wasn't the first time that Peter had taken his sweet time getting back to the rest of them after a solo mission, but Kraglin had to admit that this time was different.

He had gone missing in Asgardian territory where he wasn't supposed to legally be, for one thing, and he had gone missing during a huge clusterfuck of a natural phenomenon for another. Needless to say, while most of the time they would have written this off, when an entire cycle went by without any word, they'd decided to be a little more proactive in sussing out their resident Terran.

"I don't care if they say they don't know anything," Yondu yelled into the communicator. "You ask them again. And again until they remember something. No one just goes missing, you hear?"

"I'm not sure that's how that works, cap'n," Kraglin told him cautiously. Trying to restore rationality and stay alive when Yondu was like this was always a delicate situation.

"Well, unless you have any better ideas," Yondu shot him a murderous glare. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

"Yessir," Kraglin answered dutifully. Hey, he wasn't the one with ideas. That was usually the captain, or Peter on good days. As for the rest of the crew, there was a reason why they were Ravagers and not something else more respectable.

"Che," Yondu scoffed as he continued mumbling to himself. "Should have known better than to trust Peter with something like this."

Kraglin carefully didn't mention that this was far from being Peter's first solo mission.

"Fucking Asgardian territory too," Yondu continued as he paced on his stone perch. "What kind of shit like portals happens in any sane part of the galaxy?"

Kraglin and Yondu had set up camp on some long-abandoned monument near where Peter was supposed to land not too long ago. From there, the rest of the Ravagers had extended their search in a 5 click radius. Unfortunately, the dual suns of Vanaheim had sunk much lower in the sky and there still wasn't any sign that their wayward Ravager had even set foot on the planet.

"Cap'n!"

Both Kraglin and Yondu jumped when the communicator crackled and they heard a crew members voice call (although neither would ever admit it).

"What?!" Yondu shouted into the communicator. Kraglin couldn't help but wince. That would hurt on the other side if the crew member had their ear piece in.

"We got someone here who thinks he knows where Peter got to."

"Coordinates," Yondu growled. "Now."

It didn't take long before Yondu's M-ship touched down nearby the little Vanaheim village where some of the more personable Ravagers had been sent to talk to the natives.

"Roschi, wha' d'you got for me?" Yondu called as he leaped out of his ship, leaving Kraglin scrambling to catch up.

The blue-scaled, blue-eyed Torlacian snapped her fingers in the direction of what looked like a well-armored, grim-looking native.

"This Spaachet says he knows what happened to the boy, Cap'n," she called back, her voice deep and throaty like most of her species.

"Uh-huh," Yondu eyed up the man and toyed with the edge of his coat. For most other individuals, this wouldn't send out any warning signals, but to those who knew the Ravager captain, even by reputation, they knew to be wary and listen for any whistling. "So? What happened? Best start talking."

The stoic, dark-haired man glanced at Roschi and then brought his hands together, giving Yondu a quick bow.

"I am Hogun," he began, and kept up an impressively impassive face as Yondu's glare intensified. "I am a companion to Thor, Crown Prince of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Our prince believes he met the man you are looking for at the focal point of the convergence some time after it ended."

"He believes, does he?" Yondu drawled, the dangerous twinkle in his eye not quite doused by this new information, but Kraglin thought he looked a little less manic and less likely to start skewering everyone with his yakka arrow. "Does this person he found have a name?"

"My prince told me that he is named Peter Quill," Hogun told them. "And that he would return shortly."

The three Ravagers all let out a breath they barely knew that they were holding, and Yondu especially seemed to have released the tension from his body.

"Well then, seems he found the right person," Yondu said with a grin. "He mention where Quill got to and when he plans on getting his ass back to us?"

"Prince Thor made no mention of when, however..." Hogun began, but he seemed reluctant to tell them Quill's whereabouts. Fortunately he got over that reluctance real quick as Yondu's hand had started twitching again. "He should be on Midgard. Thor mentioned that is his world of origin."

Now this seemed to be said with a bit of accusation, but luckily Kraglin was the only one who happened to pick up on that. Kraglin narrowed his eyes at the grim-looking Vanir, but Yondu, on the other hand, turned away, looking thoughtful.

"Terra, huh?" Yondu said pensively staring off toward his M-ship. "Alright. Roschi, Kraglin, tell everyone to pack up and get there asses back to the Eclector."

"Cap'n?" Kraglin practically yelped as Roschi nodded and got on the communicator to tell her own team to go back to the ship. "What about Quill? We just gonna leave him there?"

"You heard the man," Yondu said, turning around and stomping back to his ship. "Peter'll make it back when he makes it back. Terra's a fair distance away. Though he'll be getting an hour of latrine duty for every extra cycle it takes him to get back."

Kraglin winced at the harsh punishment Peter had in store for him if he took more than the necessary time to get back to the Eclector from Terra. Either way, it was out of their hands now, and Kraglin nodded at the stiff Vanir warrior before letting the rest of the crew know they were going home.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, Darcy, you just let him take Peter?" Jane said, biting her thumb as she circled around the living room.<p>

...That had been a day ago and Jane really hadn't been doing anything different. If Darcy was going to be honest with herself, and she often was, this was probably a good thing. In a small, extremely small, way. Better that Jane be freaking out about SHIELD and Peter rather than freaking out about Thor.

"Jane," Darcy said as she ate her off-brand British cereal with Erik and Ian. "Sit down and eat your whatever-o's."

"They're Shreddies," Ian corrected her, but Darcy ignored him.

"But aren't you worried," Jane said, still biting at a rather ragged thumbnail. "They could be- I don't know- torturing him for information?"

"Well, knowing Hawkman, probably not," Darcy said wryly. "And they left the spaceship. I still say we check it out."

"I don't think we should go into the strange man's alien spaceship, Darcy," Erik said, that wary, haunted look on his face.

"Well, I don't know," Darcy said, throwing her hands up, spraying some stray milk on Ian from the spoon still in her hand. "Maybe his ship can track him or something and we can find out where he is."

"Do you think?" Jane asked, looking interested for a moment before she came to her senses and shook her head. "No, even if it did, we can't get past SHIELD."

"That's why we take the spaceship," Darcy said.

"Do you know how to fly a spaceship?" Ian added. "Because I don't."

"How hard can it be?" Darcy said.

Jane sighed as she finally sat down at the table and poked listlessly at her soggy cereal.

"No, I don't think that's going to work," she said. "We're just going to have to wait for them to give Peter back."

"Uh, I don't think they're going to do that," Darcy said. "Secret government agency? Kind of their MO to capture and experiment on aliens."

"Well, he's not an alien," Jane protested. "Not really. He's like, my age, and American too. SHIELD can't do anything bad to him."

"Yeah, they can just interrogate him until he's Erik's age," Darcy said, pointing at the aforementioned older scientist.

Erik looked like he really didn't know how to respond to that, so he shrugged and ate some more cereal.

"Alright," Jane sighed. "So we have no plan, no ideas for a plan... except wait for Thor to get back which..."

"Which considering it took him two years to get back last time..." Darcy continued for her.

"Hey, those were extenuating circumstances!" Jane pointed out. "And you know, this time there's some stuff he really has to take care of too. I mean, we did kind of... commit treason before we left. I'm sure he's just got to sort things out with his dad."

Darcy refrained from saying anything this time and just bit her lip and nodded her head. She'd already played this game two years ago. Best thing to do was just let Jane get it out of her system.

"Right," Erik said, picking up a piece of buttered toast and biting into that.

Another few awkward moments passed by, the entire table mechanically chewing their way through a lackluster breakfast at nine in the morning before a crash of thunder was heard outside.


	7. I Don't Pay Much Attention to Politics

"So there I was, surrounded by the castle guards in my underwear. Clothes on the floor, duchess screaming, but both blasters in my hands. The guys on the right started to shoot, I dropped to the floor, shot the guys in front of me, grabbed my clothes, and jumped out the window onto the shrubbery."

Peter was in the middle of the story about the Gramosian Duchess he had gotten arrested for fornicating with a few years ago. And he'd actually accumulated a decent audience. At least 7 or 8 other agents had piled themselves into the interrogation room with Agent Clint and himself. Most of them were standing, but they were relaxing against the walls or the side of the table. Really he'd mostly been trying to lead the weird government agency away from any ideas that he'd been a space pirate for the last 20 years or so. So far it was working pretty well. Of course, they'd started out all suspicious. Asking questions like, are you really human? Wow, like, really human? Oh, my aunt's from Missouri too. And of course moving on to, what are aliens like? How did you learn to speak alien? And, you do what-now for a living?

Peter had offered up information as helpfully and as meekly as he could manage. One thing he was learning from this little sojourn was that government agency interrogations were a universal experience. Offer up enough info to seem useful, get chummy with them, tell a few good stories, and then you were pretty much in the clear. His impressively short rap sheet, for a Ravager anyway, was a testament to that. Right now he was in final stage and hoped to be out by the end of the day and back on his ship.

"Oh my God, you didn't," Clint said, laughing so hard that he was trying hard to breath. One of his co-workers started slapping him on the back.

"I totally did," Peter insisted. "I can't tell you how many branches and leaves nearly got shoved into some really awkward places."

Just as Clint had regained his breath, he started busting up again.

"What happened after that?" a blonde-haired agent named Raynard asked, a grin nearly cracking his face in two. "Did they chase you down or what?"

Peter gave Raynard, the agent leaning against the table across from him a mischievous grin, the one with dimples that Peter was fully aware that most sentient beings found irresistibly charming.

"Well, I lived to tell the tale and that's all that matters," Peter told them after a moment or two. "But I will say that the Nova Corp, along with some public indecency, has me up on illegal manipulation of a Gramosian Duchess. It was kind of the other way around to be completely honest. Tell that to the Gramosian Duke though."

Clint was shaking his head, trying to fight back the entirely manly giggles that were threatening to evolve into full-blown laughter once again.

"That's wild, man," Clint said. "And the Nova Corps? That's the... Xanderians?"

"Xandarians," Peter corrected gently. They're pretty friendly. I'm friends with one of them. I met him when I was a kid getting in trouble at the capital, and he's always been pretty understanding. I spend a lot of time on Xandar just because they look a lot like Terrans- uh, humans, and all. I think they're the closest match I've found. Well, expect for some of them. There's a few that have really weird eyebrows- well, anyway, but this guy Thor actually looks pretty human too. You know, hammer guy."

Peter mimed hitting the table with a giant hammer to get his point across. Clint's smile flickered, which Peter didn't fail to notice, but oddly enough he didn't seem upset.

"So you don't see the Asgardians a lot in the rest of the Galaxy then?" Clint asked.

"Eh, not really," Peter said, being completely honest. "They're pretty closed off. Although Earth is part of their territory so I should have guessed or something."

"Do you have to say we're part of their territory?" the agent leaning on the wall, called Smythe, said. He had severe features that were nice enough when he laughed, but he looked thunderous with a frown on his face. The black hair combed back and plastered to his head didn't help soften the effect any either.

"Well," Peter shrugged at this. "That's the way it's been for the past, I dunno, thousand years? According to the Asgardians and the rest of the galaxy anyway. And it's not like you guys are ready to go out into space with everyone else yet, so it's not like it really matters...yet. No one outside of the Asgardian territories fucks with Asgardians anyway, so it's not too bad."

"Still," another agent by the door chimed in. Peter didn't remember her name. Meyers, maybe? "It's not like they asked if we were okay with it or anything."

"I dunno," Peter said. "Thor seems to be pretty chill dude. And it looks like he likes it here too. I guess you could bring it up with him. But hey, free space protection and it's not like they ask anything from you."

"I guess," Agent Smythe grumbled, and the agent by the door and a few others echoed the sentiment.

"Well, it's not like all the Asgardians are so benevolent," Clint added, his voice carefully deadpan, and Peter began to wonder when the mood in the room started to take a dive for the worst. "Guy called Loki came here a year back saying he was going to takeover and rule the Earth."

Peter stifled a laugh. "And, uh, how did that work out for him? God, that sounds like a bad movie plot."

Clint gave him a very sharp grin. "Not very well for him. We sent him off packing. Along with an alien invasion. So much for Asgardian protection. Thor arrived a little late for the show and was only one-sixth of the team that fought them back."

"Woah," Peter said a little surprised now. "Uh, alien invasion?"

"Yeah, they called themselves the Chitauri," Clint said, looking at Peter curiously. "You heard of them?"

"Chitauri?" Peter repeated trying to think. "Maybe? Uh, I don't pay attention to a lot of politics."

"Nasty looking things," an agent chimed in. "And they had these flying space whale things."

Peter tried to think, but nothing was coming to mind. Although it did sound kind of familiar...

"I dunno, man," Peter admitted. "I could always ask my boss. He knows more about that shit than I do."

"Alright," Clint said, looking at him thoughtfully. Peter hoped that look meant that Hawkman had picked up on his unspoken hint to send Peter on his way. It had already been a little over a day, and he did not want to spend his third night on Earth sleeping on a hard bench again.

Although just as Peter was about to outright ask about his chances of being escorted to his ship, yet another agent came skidding up to the room. This one was younger than the rest and looked overexcited and out of breath.

"Uh, sir," he began. "Sirs, Thor. Uh, Thor's here. He's looking for him." The kid pointed at Peter.

"Awesome!" Peter said, his face lighting up. He and Thor had gotten on just fine. The big guy would hopefully back him up and he'd be out of the investigation room within the hour. Which was good since he was running out of stories to tell that didn't involve him confessing to doing highly illegal things or mentioning the Ravagers a little too much.

"Let him in," Clint said. He then looked at the other agents and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. It was a skill Peter always wished he could have picked up from Yondu, who had the same gift.

It wasn't long before it was just Clint and Peter in the room and the aforementioned blonde, hulking figure appeared grimly in the doorway with the excitable young agent hovering anxiously in the background.

"Hey, Thor!" Peter greeted the Asgardian fondly, smiling warmly and waving his hand. He didn't know what had made Thor appear so grim, but hopefully he was just some bullshit that happened on Asgard and nothing else...

"Peter Quill, I have some business with you."

...or maybe not.


	8. Guess This Is Goodbye

"Uh, sure, buddy," Peter said, trying to think if there was anything that could have given him away. The Asgardians didn't know about the Ravagers did they? They wouldn't recognize the insignia on his coat.

Unfortunately, the way that Thor was eyeing the little flame on his red long-coat suggested otherwise.

"How can I help you out?" Peter continued, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this one if things went south.

Thor didn't answer, but grabbed one of the chairs that one of the agents had left sitting by the table.

"Uh, you can leave, Jimmy," Clint told the young agent that was still hovering anxiously by the threshold. "And close the door."

Once that was done, the three of them were left there in the silence. Peter was starting to feel a little awkward since both blondes were staring at him.

"Uh..." Peter broke the silence first. "Did something happen, big guy?"

"I returned to Asgard to speak with my father," Thor began. "Once that was finished, I sought to return to Midgard, but Heimdall and the warriors three brought a concerning matter to my attention."

"Okay..." Peter said, trying to figure out what Thor was trying to hint at.

"One of the warriors, Hogun, was on his home world of Vanaheim during Malakith's invasion."

Shit...

"Uh, actually," Clint broke in. "Hate to interrupt, but, uh, Thor? If you want to let SHIELD in on what happened here and by you? That would be awesome."

Thor paused from what he was going to say and looked over to Clint like he was seeing him for the first time. And if Peter wasn't mistaken, he was looking at him with a hell of a lot of guilt.

"My apologies, friend Clint," Thor said, making Peter worry as he realized that Thor hadn't addressed him as friend. "I will tell you the entirety of the tale at a later date."

Clint nodded. "Fair enough."

"Uh, back to what Thor was saying," Peter said, trying to direct the conversation back to the previous topic. "Vanaheim? Did they find the military guy there? That guy I passed on the way here?"

Thor looked confused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No other Midgardian was found on Vanaheim after the events of the convergence," Thor told them.

"Oh, Barthes?" Clint said. "The guy in the plane? Yeah, he wasn't there for very long. Came right back to Earth."

"Oh, awesome," Peter said, feeling the exact opposite. What else could there be on Vanaheim? Surely the Ravagers wouldn't-

"Hogun met with a strange band of off-worlders," Thor plowed on. "They called themselves Ravagers and were looking for their lost companion."

"Uh, wow," Peter said. "Imagine that."

"Yes," Thor said, his electric blue stare was haunting and Peter started to feel more than a little uncomfortable. "Heimdall tells me that these Ravagers are outlaws. Thieves of some sort or worse. He also tells me that they wear your sigil and colors."

"Uh... " Peter was definitely feeling uncomfortable now. "Did you, uh, get any names off these guys? I mean, just because they were dressed like me-"

"Their leader was a Centaurian named Yondu Udonta," Thor said.

"Fuck," Peter couldn't help but say. "Fuck, Yondu? God damnit. What did you guys tell him?"

Peter couldn't help but feel panicked. If Yondu had gone searching for him that probably meant that Yondu was worried or something. Which would only make him angry. Angry at Peter specifically since he wasn't dying in a ditch somewhere, but hanging out on his home planet. Fuck.

"So they are your companions?" Thor asked, accusing.

"Yes, no, well yes," Peter tried to answer. "It's not that simple."

"So make it simple," Clint added, not looking nearly as amused as he had before.

"Look," Peter said. "It's not like I left Earth at eight years old all by myself. Yondu and the Ravagers picked me up, and I've been with them ever since. Yondu's my..."

At this, Peter wasn't quite sure what to say. What exactly was his relationship to Yondu anyway? Son? Friend? Brother? And how did Yondu think of him?

"He's my boss, I guess," Peter admitted, the only thing he could say for certain. "He's been threatening to let the crew eat me for the last twenty years or so. Like _that's_ not getting old. Wants me to be grateful he doesn't 'let' them or something. Yeah, whatever..."

Clint held a hand up to stop Peter's nonsensical grumbling now.

"So, what exactly are you trying to say here?" Clint asked. "Are you friends with these guys or what?"

"Friend's a strong word," Peter said. "Look, these guys kidnapped me. And they threaten every once in a while to _eat_ me. I'm not exactly ovelry fond of the smelly bastards, but it's a job, okay? And if I want to eventually get away from these guys, I need money."

"You are on Midgard," Thor told him, confused. "This is your home world. Why not stay here?"

"Well," Peter began, feeling a little exasperated. "Number one, Yondu knows this is my home world, too. First place he'll look for my ship. Number two, what am I going to do on Earth? I didn't even finish the third grade. Any skills I have are for out there."

Peter pointed up as he said this. And as he said this, he realized he completely meant it. He'd been avoiding Earth for so long and this was why. He was useless here, less than no one. But out in the rest of the universe, he was Star Lord.

"SHIELD could give you a job," Clint began to offer, but Peter shook his head.

"Look I know you're suspicious of me," Peter told the both of them. "I'm sorry I lied to you, and I know I shouldn't have been on Vanaheim, but that's how I get paid. I steal stuff. But it doesn't get any worse than that."

Thor looked pensive, thinking over and weighing the worth of Peter's words.

"You wish to leave these... Ravagers?" Thor asked finally.

"Yeah, I wish I could leave them," Peter said. "But I can't do that just at this moment. I've been waiting these last few years for the right chance."

"I see," Thor said, still looking like he was thinking hard about something. Probably whether he was going to smash Peter with that hammer of his. Peter hoped that he wasn't going to choose that option.

"Very well," Thor said. "Although you did not have the noblest intentions, you did not commit any crimes on Vanaheim and neither did these Ravagers. I have no problems letting you go free."

"Well, even though it's not up to the God of Thunder here, I'd have to agree," Clint chimed in. "You haven't done anything illegal, and as long as you leave with the same record, you'll be fine. Can't really hold you. I mean, sure, the higher-ups probably want us to, but you've given us enough information about aliens to keep everyone happy for a while."

"Uh, awesome," Peter said, a little confused. "Does... uh, that mean I can go? I mean, you'll drop me off by my ship?"

Thor and Clint looked at each other. Thor shrugged and after a while so did Clint.

"Yeah, sure I'll give you a lift," Clint said.

"There's no need," Thor said. "The Lady Jane and her companions, Darcy and Ian, are waiting in front of the building."

"Uh, okay," Peter said. "I guess we should get going?"

Thor stared at him again, one of those odd, penetrating stares.

"Know this, Star Lord, if you should prove false, I shall not be lenient when we meet again," Thor said, and Peter was a little taken aback, not sure where this was coming from. Maybe the guy had been betrayed one too many times.

"Uh, okay, I swear," Peter said. "I'm hoping to jump ship within the year or something. Get a big score, lay low, and avoid Yondu for the rest of my life. That kind of thing. Maybe after a bit I can visit."

"Sounds good," Clint said, standing up and holding out his hand for Peter to shake. Peter got to his feet and took the hand, shaking it. "And stop by when you're in the neighborhood then. I think the guys got pretty attached to you."

Peter could only laugh.

"Will do."

* * *

><p>"I'm so glad you're okay," Jane said to Peter as he tugged the tarp off his blue and orange baby. "But are you sure you want to leave so soon? You can stay as long as you like."<p>

"Nah, I have to get going," Peter said. "SHIELD was pretty cool, but they ate up a lot of my time here. I have to get back or else my boss'll start going nuts."

"Well, alright," Jane conceded, giving Peter a quick hug before letting Darcy come up and punch him in the arm.

"Take care of yourself spaceman," Darcy said, and handed Peter a plastic bag. "And here's enough cds to last you a while. Comes deluxe with a handy dandy cd player too."

"Sure you can't put 'em to cassette?" Peter teased, holding the bag reverently.

"As if," Darcy scoffed. "Stop living in the stone ages."

Peter laughed and then turned to Thor. He'd already said his goodbyes to Dr. Selvig and Ian the Intern. Thor, however, was the one who knew the truth.

"So, until next time then?" Peter asked, tilting his head questioningly.

"Until next time," Thor said, and Peter was happy to hear the warmth in his voice. Thor was the kind of guy who was irresistible when happy, but crazy scary when mad. It was good to see him not upset.

Peter held out his hand, and Thor took it with a smile before pulling him into a hug.

"Woah! Alright," Peter said, crushed against the guy's shoulder. Peter patted him on the back awkwardly.

Thor finally let him go, and he was free to board the Milano.

"I'll be back when I get some time off or something," Peter promised, sending a meaningful look to Thor.

"You better," Darcy shouted, waving as Peter clambered into his ship and got ready for flight.

When Peter was settled and leaving Earth's atmosphere, he allowed himself to breathe.

"Great, now I have to call Yondu."


End file.
